A Tale of 2 Strategies: The Twitter Genius of Chuck Grassley and Cory Booker

Two of the most successful politicians on social media have different approaches for how they talk to voters.

If you’re on Twitter and not following Sen. Chuck Grassley, you’re not using Twitter correctly.

The Iowa Republican is known for his colorful and personal Twitter feed. Take a gander: He personally tweets about everything from the History Channel to "Obamacare" to an incident in which he hit a deer with his car (“assume dead"). Grassley’s tweets take us along for a ride, one that's often riddled with spelling errors (which he has said is due to his distaste for typing and the iPhone’s auto-correct function).

Contrast Grassley’s tweets to another lawmaker known for his active and personal feed: Newark, N.J., Mayor Cory Booker. On Twitter, he’s part mayor, part celebrity. Booker tweets about city services and was widely praised for how he utilized the platform in the aftermath of superstorm Sandy to connect directly with residents. But then he’ll retweet someone who says she’s going to get a Cory Booker quote tattoo or someone who has a “political crush” on him. Sometimes, Booker tweets like a Kardashian.

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Obviously, Booker is savvier with Twitter than Grassley, and he's utilized the platform effectively, as he vies for statewide office. Booker's a PR genius with social media. Grassley's himself--typos, rants, and all. So while Booker probably doesn't need to take Twitter lessons from the six-term senator, there's something decidedly old school and earnest that's kind of appealing about Grassley's feed, something that would be nice to see in Booker's feed, too.

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